4 definitions
by
Whadduc Hunt

Much-maligned rock group, a guilty pleasure if ever there was one. One of their best albums, The Grand Illusion, is a loose concept album which takes the pursuit of fame as its theme and is best known for the anthemic 'Come Sail Away'.

"The Grand Illusion by Styx is an amazing album, and I'm not going to apologise for saying that."

The Alan Parsons Project were a 1970s-80s group founded by Alan Parsons (previously best known as an engineer and producer of groups and singers as diverse as Pink Floyd, Al Stewart and Pilot) and Eric Woolfson, with a shifting line-up of instrumentalists and singers including Colin Blunstone, John Miles, Steve Harley, Lenny Zakatek and Pilot's Iain Bairnson and David Paton. Their albums are all concept-based but eschew the pretentiousness of prog-rock in favour of a more radio-friendly approach, their stated aim being to create music that lends itself equally to headphone and background listening.

"You Don't Believe by the Alan Parson's Project is a great track"
"Actually, they're called the Alan Parsons Project"

A series of knockabout comedy films made in England and aimed at parochial audiences, but which gathered a worldwide cult following among Anglophile comedy fans. Thirty films were made between 1958 and 1978 (1992's 'Carry On Columbus' was a misguided attempt at reviving the brand for a modern audience, and is best forgotten) and featured a core cast of regulars, including Sidney James, Charles Hawtrey, Kenneth Connor, Kenneth Williams, Bernard Bresslaw and Peter Butterworth. The best series instalments are generally thought to be Carry On Cleo, Carry On Camping, Carry On Up the Khyber and Carry On At Your Convenience, whilst the worst are usually cited (not without good reason) as Carry On Jack, Carry On England and Carry On Emmannuelle. The series lives on through DVD releases, edited compilations and a strong internet presence.